Safe and Sound
by PanicB3tt3rRun
Summary: Prince Ritsu has escaped from an unknown place where he was taken to after he was kidnapped months earlier. He has no memory of who he is or anyone else for that matter. Will he be able to avoid his capture again and recover his memories or will he be taken again and the memories from his time in the place break him? Sorry I'm no good at summaries but please R&R!
1. Escape

My throat hurt. In fact, my entire body trembled at the thought of moving. Beneath me, I could feel shattered glass cutting into my bare torso. The little jagged shards pierced through the raggedy scrub pants I was wearing. How had I gotten here? Why couldn't I remember anything? Questions streamed through my head in a never ending torrent of madness. I could just barely hear the garbled mass of voices passed the ringing in my ears, shouting obscenities from above me.

I coughed, trying to relieve some of the dryness in my throat, only to convulse in pain. My chest felt like it was going to collapse any second and a searing fire erupted from my ribs any time I tried to gasp for a breath. It was so hard to breathe, the air was dense and warm as if a storm was on its way.

The ringing in my ears died down enough for me to hear some of what the voices were saying. "What in the _hell_ is going on?! Where's Ritsu?!" My heart stopped. That's my name. Ritsu...Onodera Ritsu. I knew that for a fact even if I had forgotten everything else. The flash of dark shaggy hair made my skin crawl and panic flood through my veins. "Get down there and bring him back!" As the pounding of feet infiltrated my mind, I pulled myself to my feet. Danger was clearly here and I knew I had to run if I wanted to get away.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins and as I lurched into the heavily wooded area around the tall building I was laying by, the door flung open to reveal eight armored men trudging hurriedly in search of me. Each muscle groaned and creaked under the new strain of each of mu jostling strides. Blood flowed from each wound on my body, creating trails in the dirt on my skin.

My hip bones jutted out from just above my pants, revealing an intricate line of swirling black ink. From the way my body looked, and my stomach gurgled and churned, I hadn't been eating much, if at all.

The men's voices grew louder behind me and more violent. "Ritsu wait!" the leader called out to me before he turned to his men. "Stop him!" Shivers ran up my spine at his fierce voice. It struck fear into my very core and urged me to run faster. Thanks to all the adrenaline, I was numb to anymore pain and hardly noticed the wind picking up or the snow that now crunched underneath my bare feet.

"Dammit! Don't let him get through that barrier! You know how hard it was to get him here! If he gets through its going to be even harder to get him back! Just shoot!" the man barked. Those last two words seemed to slow time. I could hear the click of the gun, practically see the feathered needle shoot out of the barrel and sink deep into the tree right beside me. The bark exploded and sent splinters piercing through my skin. My eyes widened in new found fear and I ran faster than I would've thought possible. My legs pumped hard and my lungs were burning for air.

There was a bright blue wall of light just ahead of me in a clearing. It stretched from the sky to the ground and domed around the expanse of the area. I wasn't the least bit discouraged though. I had a feeling, from the way it shimmered, that it would give to and force that was applied to it. I ran directly for it. "**STOP!**" the man screeched, his voice as sharp as the wind, and just as biting.

There was a click of the gun and a bang that reverberated through the chilled air as the sedation dart exploded from the gun and imbedded itself deep within my shoulder. I screamed as I came into contact with the wall.

The air was stripped from my lungs and I felt as though I was being tossed around inside of a tornado. There was a loud smack as I came into contact with something hard and a strained gurgle bubbled up from my throat. I tried to suck in air but only managed to gasp little pants instead. I opened my eyes to find myself staring at a starry sky. My heart was thundering in my chest as I jumped to my feet again.

Something squished between my toes and then I finally took the time to take in my surroundings. I was standing on top of a pristine white table cloth, my foot in some type of food that now happened to be a squashed green mess.

Everywhere I looked I caught pair of eyes trained directly on me. the only noise was my own ragged breathing and galloping heartbeat. As the first chair screeched backwards, I bolted. After that, everyone jumped into action. "Wait!" someone yelled. "Come back!" I wasted no time in leaping off of the table, only to be swatted out of the air and cradled into a broad, black suited chest.

I struggled with my captor, lashing out in any way possible, and managed to catch him in the jaw. "Leave me alone!" I screamed. Speaking finally for the first time in what felt like years. I reached behind myself and pulled out the dart, a whimper escaping my mouth as I realized that I had taken to much time before removing it. The dart had already begun to take effect on me.

The world was now spinning uncontrollably and I stumbled. My stride broken, I collapsed shaking on the ground. That same suited chest was back now, this time accompanied by a face. It was slightly tanned with a mop of jet black hair, a flash of gold eyes and a bloodied lip.

"D-d-don't touch me!" I stuttered, trying to pull away from his grip as I shuddered. The pain I had felt before had turned into pure agony now that my adrenaline rush was gone. I could see more faces behind that guy that was holding me in his arms. Their mouths were moving frantically, their heads whipped forward and as someone else came through the crowd, they parted.

The boy was chattering nonsense in my ear. "I'm sorry, Ritsu. I'm so sorry. I've been looking everyday, but..." His voice broke off.

"G-g-get away f-from me!" I said as I pushed feebly at his chest. All I could think about was the men that had been chasing me. He could be one of them, all of these people could be. My instincts were screaming at me to get up and fight but my body was heavy with the sedative.

There was a woman behind him then. She was probably in her forties but beautiful all the same. She had light brown hair that spiraled from her head to her lower back. Her eyes were a warm and chocolaty brown and her delicate hand trembled above her quivering mouth.

"Oh god, he's here. He's alive." She sobbed once and then started outright crying. She felt almost familiar somehow but I couldn't place her. The raven haired boy looked up at her. His movements jostled my agonized body, and now that there was no barrier to stop the pain, everything hit me like freight train. I screamed as loud as I could and when it stopped my broken sobs filled the air.

Hot tears fell down my face, obscuring my vision and burning my eyes. I could see the outline of a hand slowly descending to my face before I yelled "NO! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! No more! Please!" The words tumbled out of m mouth without any thought, as if it was a habit. "Please..." I whimpered halfheartedly before I sank into the complete oblivion of unconsciousness.


	2. Good Vibes and a Bad Feeling

"All of his wounds are consistent with that of torcher as well as a three story fall. There also looks to be some...er...well, the best way I can put it would be testing sites." The first voice I heard in the in between state of my delirium was a deep males voice. It was authoritative but also respectful, as if they were speaking to someone of high importance.

"Testing? You mean whoever took him..._experimented on him?!" _The second voice was melodic and worried, a higher voice that was, in every aspect, female.

_"..._yes. I'm surprised he's alive at all really. Let me know when he wakes up so I can see if there is any damage to his mental health." The first voice replied.

I opened my eyes to find myself laying underneath a fluffy, dark blue comforter, wrapped in bandages from head to toe. In the light that filtered in from the room, I could see the brown-eyed woman from before and a tall man with dark brown hair talking in the doorway. The black-haired boy had one of my hands in a vise-like grip in his own, his head against the bed and deep, heavy breaths puffed out of his mouth.

A small glass of water rested on the table beside the bed I was laying on. My throat was still parched, and with temptation only an arms length away, I couldn't resist. I wriggled my hand around to get the boy to loosen his grip, but he held firm and I gave up. My arm stretched as far as it could, brushing barely against the back of the glass and sending it crashing to the floor.

The black-haired boy bolted upright and the woman and man swung their heads in my direction. "You-" the boy began. As if it was a natural occurring habit, my hand raised immediately to protect my face.

"I'm sorry!" I whimpered. The boy grasped my hand tighter and the woman almost ran to the bed, closing in so that I felt trapped between the two.

My breathing was becoming ragged again, my eyes wide with fright. The woman snatched my hands up and stared deeply into my eyes. "Are you thirsty?" She asked. I hesitated before nodding slowly. The woman turned around and signaled for a maid I hadn't seen before to bring another glass. Almost immediately, it was brought to me. I glanced at the woman and boy, then to the other man, who was now standing at the end of my bed, before taking a large, satisfying gulp of the cold liquid.

The man was staring hard at me as the boy began speaking. "Who were those people?" he asked. I looked at him, trying to gage if he had seen the men that were chasing me or if there was more meaning behind his words.

"I don't know," I replied.

"Where did they take you?" the woman asked.

"I don't know," I repeated.

"Well...what was it like?" she tried again.

"I don't know...I can't remember." I looked at the woman, hoping desperately that she understood the full meaning of my words. The man's eyebrows creased.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked. As I looked around now, things I hadn't noticed before caught my attention. On top of a large television, there were framed pictures of two boys and the woman beside me now. One of the boys was obviously the boy beside me. His dark hair and golden eyes were unmistakable but I didn't recognize the other at all. He had large, green eyes and light brown hair, almost the same shade as the woman. Their resemblance was obviously connected to their blood line. There was also two large, ornate dressers on either side of the room.

"Seems to be...a bedroom?" I looked to the man for affirmation. He nodded once, almost gravely as the atmosphere got increasingly heavy.

"Do...do you know who we are?" the boy asked slowly. I shook my head, immediately seeing the pain in both the boy's and the woman's eyes.

"I'm sorry...should I know you?" I apologized quietly. The woman only grasped my hands tighter and looked the man.

"It's amnesia. It's very common with head injuries, especially since he fell." the man said. That didn't sound right to me for some reason. Something about it was off.

"I didn't fall, I jumped." I stated matter-of-factly.

The man looked at me quizzically. "How do you know?"

"I just...know." I winced as I shrugged me shoulders.

"Do you hurt? Where exactly?" the man asked as he reached his hand out to touch my leg. I jerked it back, instinctively, away from his touch, sending tremors throughout my body. My head knew that he was only trying to help but my body reacted on pure reflex.

"I'm sorry. I...don't know you people. Could you please tell me where I am and what's going on? All I can remember is waking up on the glass." My voice was shaking, revealing my uncertainty even further. The man asked for the rest of what I remembered and so I continued. "I...heard these guys yelling. Stuff like 'what happened here?' and 'don't let him get away!'...They knew my name, if that makes any difference? Anyways, I got really scared after hearing the leader."

I could feel the fear coiling in my stomach as if I was reliving those moments again. The way my body stiffened must've been obvious because the boy beside my tentatively reached out a hand to rub a small circle on my back. I flinched at first but when he whispered "It's okay, Ritsu. You're safe now. I wont let anything happen to you ever again," I instantly relaxed. Something about him seemed oddly familiar to me and it didn't frighten me at all. I decided then that ,even if I didn't know his name, I would trust him.

Tears welled in my eyes at the next part of my story. "Their leader...he wasn't a good person. He...he was a very bad man. I-I can't remember why I'm so scared of him though." I looked at the three people around me. The woman and boy had matching looks of worry and sorrow on their face while the man stood at the end of the bed with grim frown on his mouth.

I glanced down, watching the tears that spilled from my face splatter against my pale, bandaged hands before continuing. "They chased me through a forest. The leader was yelling the whole time."

"What did he say?" The man interrupted.

"He told me to stop running, but I ran faster when I heard him yelling at the others. He told them to shoot me and said it was going to be harder to get me back." I stumbled over the last part before looking at the woman again. "I don't want to go back there. Please don't let them take me." She squeezed my hands harder before pulling me into a hug.

"I won't let them hurt you anymore, Ritsu." She whispered against my ear. The warmth she emitted was familiar, too. These two people, I would trust them, as for the man, well, he hadn't struck and familiarity with me.

I swallowed hard and continued after the woman relinquished me. "After that I just ran as fast as I could and when I got to this giant wall of blue light, they called it a barrier I think, they shot me with that sedative and I ended up on your table."

"That's all you can remember?" The man asked, seeming to already know the answer by his grim face.

I nodded my head before asking skeptically, "So...uhm...you all must know me correct?"

The woman suddenly brightened, smiling and nodding her head, her curls bouncing up and down with the movements. "That's Dr. Nowaki," she pointed to the man at the end of the bed, " and that's Masamune Takano, your bodyguard," she pointed to the dark haired boy next. He smiled at me, revealing white, straight teeth that were a stark contrast against his tanned skin.

"But he's only a teenager," I said incredulously before adding "Why do I need a bodyguard anyways?" I could feel my face scrunched in confusion as sorrow and a flash of hurt flitted through the boys, Masamune's, eyes.

"You really don't remember us." Masamune stated more than questioned. I gave a shaky laugh, running my fingers through my snarled hair.

"Scary as it sounds, I don't even remember what I look like, much less names, faces, and relationships between me any anyone else." My hands curled around the blankets that lay beneath them.

"Masamune, take Ritsu to the bathroom to help him clean up a little more, then he can see himself and maybe jog a few memories as well. Amaya-sama please come with me, I have some things I would like to discuss with you." The man, Dr. Nowaki, said.

The woman gently patted my head before following the doctor out of the room. I turned to find Masamune staring hard at me. "M-masamune...?" I stumbled out his name, trying to grab his attention. He jerked then slowly, his gaze became soft and he whispered my name as if I was someone special to him.

"Ritsu." The one word was filled with so much emotion behind it, it was hard to breathe. I couldn't help being even more confused as his voice pulled at my heart. "Ritsu...Ritsu..." He repeated pulling me into his arms and burying his face in my neck, his breath a warm tickle against my flesh. I don't know why I did it but the next thing I knew I was holding onto him as if my life depended on it. His embrace was more comforting than even the woman's from before and somehow...intimate.

Masamune jerked up suddenly. "Ah. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." He pulled away leaving me with a strange sense of emptiness. "C'mon, lets go change your bandages." He slung one of my arms around his neck and held my waist just above the tattoo-like ink, pulling me off the bed. As soon as my feet touched the ground, pain lanced through my body making me whimper. "Are you alright? Do you want to lay back down?" He asked. I shook my head, trying to be tough. He chuckled muttering, "Still stubborn I see."

As we made our way down the hall my stomach chose that opportune time to rumble and make itself known. My cheeks heated instantly as Masamune chuckled, "Hungry?"

I looked away from his intense golden eyes, cheeks set ablaze even more as I muttered "Not particularly."

He chuckled again. "We'll get some food after we clean up."

Halfway to the bathroom, which was at the end of the hall directly opposite of the room I was in before, someone called out. "Masamune! Is that..?" The voice was high pitched, obviously female.

He tensed, slightly and looked over his shoulder. "I-it's not a good time, An." He stuttered out. Masamune was obviously uncomfortable which made me uncomfortable as well.

"What are you talking about?" The girl asked as she came to stand in front of us. She had long, light brown hair and wide brown eyes that were framed with dark, thick lashes. "I came to see him so I'm going to."

"An, Ritsu's not-" Masamune was cut off.

"Ritsu! I was so worried about you!" She said getting closer. I curled into Masamune's body, trying to put some distance between me and the girl. She had entered my uncomfortable area and was getting closer to my intolerable zone.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I asked a little shakily. Her expression changed from worry to anger in the span of a few seconds.

"Oh I see, you turn up out of nowhere and suddenly your too good for me?!" The girl screeched closing in on me and grabbing my wrist. Panic flooded my veins and reflex kicked. I knocked her hand away, quite forcefully too.

There was only silence as the resonating sound of clashing hands echoed in our minds.

"I-I'm so sorry I-" A loud crack rang through my ears and I saw stars. I could feel blood oozing out of my now split eyebrow and fear, once again, coursed through my blood.

"An!" Masamune yelled trying to push her away from me.

"What's your problem Ritsu?! Quit with your games!" She screamed and shoved at Masamune. My entire body was trembling now, my eyes wide with shock. "Dammit Ritsu! Answer me!" She broke free from Masamune and bee lined for me.

Before I knew it, I was sprinting down the hall, back to the room from before. My wobbling gate slowed me down but I managed to gain ground on her. "Ritsu wait!" Masamune yelled. An was screaming after me, her feet pounding against the carpeted floor. Her footsteps seemed to close in as I reached the bedroom and slammed the door behind me, locking it. My breath came it ragged pants as I trued to slow my heartbeat down.

"An! Get away from the door!" Masamune yelled from the other side.

"Tell him to get back out here!" She screeched.

There was silence on the other side of the door. "Let go of me you filthy peasant." She seethed.

"Listen to me!" Masamune yelled. "He doesn't remember! Not even me nor Amaya-sama!" It was quiet again.

"Oh god..." She whispered. The air around me was becoming increasingly thin, I was having a panic attack. Blood dribbled down my face, slick to the touch. My head dropped between my knees, my hands threading into my hair. The hit was extremely familiar, or was it the beating in general? Whatever it was terrified me to no end.

"Ritsu?" Masamune called softly. "Open the door, Ritsu,"

"N-n-no...no more..." I said, rocking backwards into the door.

"It's alright. She won't hurt you again. I won't let her." He added gently.

"Yeah! I'm sorry! I thought you were just messing around," She said before directing her voice to Masamune again. "Maybe we should just knock it down."

Masamune's response was immediate. "NO! Do you want to terrify him even more?!" More voices joined them.

"What's going on?!" the voice, belonging to the brown-haired woman, bellowed. Masamune filled her in on what had happened while I stayed rocking and tried to ignore them.

"I want to help!" An said, albeit more timidly than before.

"Leave, you've done enough." The man from before, Dr. Nowaki, said harshly.

"...Y-yes." An mumbled as her footsteps faded, most of my panic going with her.

"Ritsu? Open the door please." The woman said. I waited for a moment before reaching up and fumbling for the lock. The door creaked open slowly and the woman cautiously walked into the dim room. "Ritsu?" she called softly.

My body was still convulsing, I hugged my knees tighter to my chest. "I-I'm sorry," I whispered, looking up at her through glossy eyes. She crouched down to my level, her skirt moving slightly. "Sh-she was just to close." Her face softened.

"No, Ritsu, it wasn't your fault." She brushed dome of my hair back. Her touch didn't frighten me at all now, it was caring and warm. "Let's get that cleaned up." She gestured to my eyebrow. I nodded and get up on unsteady legs as Masamune and Dr. Nowaki walked it.

Dr. Nowaki paused when he looked at me. "Do you feel alright, Ritsu?"

I nodded once and then stopped. My toes and fingers were going numb. I looked to him and then to Masamune. "My fingers-" I broke off. Black spots danced in my vision. " I can't see!" I cried out.

"Ritsu!" Masamune and the woman called out at the same time my knees buckled. "What's wrong with him?!" The woman yelled, her voice coming from a long tunnel. Masamune had caught me and was cradling me in his chest.

"You're okay, Ritsu. It's alright." He whispered as he laid a gentle hand on my face.

"I'm scared, Masamune." I whimpered, hating how it came even more broken then I already felt. His thumb rubbed soothing circles on my cheekbone and his soft, golden eyes were the last things I saw as I shut my eyes and darkness enveloped me once again.

**I am ****_SO _****sorry that it took so long to add onto this! I had a serious case of Procrastination Syndrome. -_- I will try harder to update sooner! I hope you all enjoyed this! I really love to write :3**

**I know I made everyone, especially An-chan, extremely OOC but it fit in with the story!...and plus I needed to have a dramatic entrance for An! I also threw Nowaki from JR in here and I may continue with that or not...**

**Anyways, please R&R! I love to read all of your comments! Feel free to PM with any suggestions or anything you want to see come up in the story!...still looking for a bad guy if you have any suggestions! **

** I hope you all enjoyed this! I really love to write :3**


	3. Oh Sweet Memories

**Hi everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing! This chapter may be a little shorter than the others but please continue with it! Its necessary for the story and of course there will be some Takano x Ritsu action! Enjoy! :3**

In the midst of my unconsciousness, I knew I couldn't be dreaming. When you dream, things don't feel this real, the colors and sounds aren't as vivid and vibrant. You don't have the intense feeling of deja vu that I'm having right now.

I watched as a two little boys, the two from the picture I had seen in my room earlier, giggled as they buried a woman's feet inside of the sandbox they were playing in. The woman was the one that had been in my room earlier. She looked slightly younger, her hair piled into a bun on the top of her head with little tendrils hanging in her face as she smiled down at the two.

"Ritsu, let's make a sand castle now!" the dark haired boy, Masamune grinned. My breath caught in my throat, these were memories. I did know them. Tension I hadn't known id been harboring dissipated from my body, relief taking its place. I smiled to myself as I watched my younger self and the younger Masamune play happily in the sand.

"Takano! Training time!" A voice called from inside the grandeur house that lay a few feet away from us. Masamune frowned but got up anyways. He brushed his pants off and turned to the woman. "Amaya-sama," He bowed "Ritsu-sama." He bowed again with a grin at the younger me's red face.

"I told you not to call me that!" The younger me yelled after him.

"Mom, why can't Masamune play anymore?" My breath caught in my throat. _Ohmygosh. _How had I forgotten my own mother?

"Well, if he's going to protect you then he's going to have to get stronger." She stated as she pulled the younger me into her arms. "You need to get stronger too, you can't always rely on Masamune." She grinned as she gripped the smaller me's underarms and I just grinned like I knew what was going to happen.

I stood in shock as I watched my mother toss me into the air, a gleeful squeal escaping my lips as I plummeted back to the ground. Horror filtered through my veins as I desperately tried to move to catch myself. My legs felt as though they were traveling through Jell-O. I wasn't going to make it in time.

There was a sudden crackling in the atmosphere as the air filled with electricity. My eyes widened as I caught sight of two large, white appendages protruding from the younger me's back. They beat once, twice, three times before my feet gently settled on the ground. The area zapped once again and the wings disappeared. The younger me had the biggest smile on his face as he wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve, staining it with red.

"Just what I would expect from a son of the House of Avi," My mom said as she wiped away the blood that dribbled from my nose, "Remember not to push to hard...my little prince."

_Flash!_

The scene change and suddenly I wasn't watching any more, I was reliving it.

Masamune had his back to me so I could see the muscles tense underneath his shirt. My back was pressed against a wall and we looked to be in a classroom. "Leave Ritsu alone." He growled out.

"Aw, we were just having some fun, Takano. Let us play, too." A snide voice said from in front of Masamune. My body was shivering from cold and fear. My shirt was torn and I had lost my pants which explained the cold but my fear wasn't for myself. It was for Masamune. I knew that he was in more danger right now than I was.

My finger clutched the back of Masamune's shirt. "M-Masamune...Let's go...please." I whispered out.

"Ooooh, look Takano he wants to be alone with you. He can't though can he? Because you're just a lowly, good-for-nothing mutt."

The snarl that erupted from Masamune's mouth was nowhere near as human as it should've been. It resonated deep within his chest and reverberated against every wall in the room, the windows rattled in their sills. Masamune's back quivered and he rolled his neck as he dropped to all fours. Two dark, pointed ears sat on top of his head and a long bushy tail brushed against my bare legs."Don't talk about him." His voice was low and garbled and I knew that if I could see his face I would see glowing yellow eyes, his lips pulled back over elongated canines. All in all, he made a fierce sight.

I could see around him now. There were two guys our age crouched in the same position Masamune was in now. One of them had a large, hulking figure, a short rounded tail and two half-circle ears with teeth the same as Masamune's. The other had sharp, red ears and a bushy tail with a white tip. His figure was much smaller than the other two but he was obviously much faster as he was already darting out and back to his spot beside the other guy.

Just as they were about to lunge for each other, I bolted out from behind Masamune. "Stop!" I screamed and the air around me snapped, sparks zapping in and out of existence. A familiar tingling sensation ran between my shoulder blades but I ignored it in favor of focusing my thoughts on protecting Masamune.

My hands trembled as the air became dry and tangible between them. Before I knew what was happening I had formed a little ball of white energy and my feet were no longer on the ground. "No!" Masamune shouted as soon as I flung it in between the two so it would hit the wall behind them.

There was a bright light and for a moment I was blind. My ears rung as the energy in the room sizzled and disappeared. as my vision cleared, I found myself lying on the floor with Masamune's bright, yellow eyes looking at me frantically."-su! Ritsu! Can you hear me? Ritsu!"

"Masamune..." I whispered. "Are you okay?"

Masamune blanched and let out a nervous chuckle."Idiot. You're the one who's bleeding. C'mon, let's get out of here before someone comes." He hauled me to my feet and I stumbled.

"Sorry, I'm a little dizzy." I said as he caught me.

"HEY! Who's in here?!" someone shouted as their footsteps pounded down the hallway.

"Shit," Masamune muttered as he picked me up bridal style.

"P-put me down!" I said blushing as he laughed and clutched me tighter. He moved swiftly out of the room just as the door to the front of the classroom flew open. Masamune ran through the deserted hallways of the school until he found an open bathroom.

He walked in quickly, set me down on the alcove by the sinks ordering me to stay, and went back to lock the door to the bathroom.

Masamune walked back to me and for a moment it was silent. I felt a blush rise in my cheeks again as he stared at me.

"W-what is it?" I stuttered out, looking down.

Masamune took my face into both of his hands, his thumbs at my cheekbones and forcing me to look directly into his golden eyes. "Why did you push yourself so hard?"

I opened my mouth and then closed it again, over conscious of how close we were. "Y-you were going to get into a fight. I had to do something...I don't want you to go away." I whispered.

Masamune's face crumpled a little and he released one side of my face to grab a paper towel, wet it, and begin to clean the blood that trickled from my nose.

His touch was gentle as he dabbed at the blood until it stopped. He tossed the paper towel into the waste bin and turned back to me. Placing one hand on the wall behind me and leaving the other on my cheek, he leaned in so our noses were almost touching. "It's my job to protect you." he stated. I nodded my head furiously, blushing as our noses brushed. "Then why do you insist on putting yourself in danger whenever I try to protect you?" Masamune asked in a lower voice, rubbing his thumb over my cheekbone.

His touch sent heat through my body and my already flushed cheek burned brighter as I stuttered over my words. "I...err...um.."

"Ritsu." He silenced me. "Don't you _ever_ do that again. Please. You scared me half to death when you collapsed." His eyes were soft as he gazed down at me, worry evident in his eyes. He leaned in closer, his breath puffing against my lips as he whispered "Promise me."

My eyes darted to his lips and then to his eyes, my breathing becoming ragged as I tried to form coherent words. "I-I-I p-prom-" I didn't get to finish my promise as his lips crashed down on my own. My eyelids fluttered shut in pure bliss. His lips were soft and melded to mine as the kiss became more fervent.

I could feel his tongue prodded against my lower lip, begging for entrance. A moan escaped my lips as his tongue tangled with my own. It curled around mine in a gentle caress as I lifted my hands to thread them through his hair and pull him closer. He pressed my legs further apart to get closer as he brought his other hand off of the wall and to the back of my neck so he could angle my mouth for better access.

We finally broke away when the need for oxygen became to much to handle, but Masamune rested his forehead on mine. "I love you..." He whispered, our lips brushing with his words.

_Flash!_

I bolted up from the bed I had woken upon earlier. My breathing was ragged as I recalled the memories from earlier, blushing as I thought of Masamune.

I rolled out of the bed on unsteady feet and stumbled to the door, realizing I didn't feel nearly as much pain as before. I cracked the door open checking to see if there was anyone out in the hall before going in search of Masamune or my mother.

**Alright! Finished this one and maybe its not as short as I thought it was going to be but then again... Oh well! I hope you liked It! please review! I love to read them all and feel free to leave suggestions or things you want to see come up!**

**Thanks so much and until next time...Stay sexy readers!;D**


	4. Bitter Recollection

**So here I am, writing chapter four for my dear followers:3 I love everyone's comments and have taken everyone's suggestions into mind. Some will come up sooner than others but I intend to include all the suggestions! Oh and let me just say that Ritsu is ****_not_**** an angel J (Devilish Grin) That will be exposed at a later date.**

**Also, in this part Ritsu remembers part of what happens at the 'unknown place' and it's a little bit bloody so beware!**

**I don't own Sekkaiichi Hatsukoi (even though I wish I did)**

**Thanks so much for reading and reviewing and without further delay...**

Stretching my arms and legs felt extremely good. A groan of pleasant satisfaction slipped passed my lips as I cracked the door open further. For the first time, I gazed around the immaculately designed hallway.

There was a grand chandelier that dangled precariously from a thin, golden wire in the center of the ceiling. The diamonds that dripped from the edges of the ornate object threw sparkling shadows on the crimson walls. They danced around each other and threw rainbows in every direction as if they were living.

As fascinated as I was with the small sparkling facets on the wall, I completely missed the brown haired man walk up beside me. "Eeep!" I screeched as I felt a large hand clamp down on my bandaged shoulder.

I flipped around and was almost blinded by the sparkles that encompassed the man's aura. "Ritsu-sama? Are you alright to be walking around?" He asked with a striking smile.

"Uh...a..Uhmm," was all I could manage to expel from my mouth before it took a mind of its own and motored off, "C-could you please tell me where Masamune is?"

The man looked miffed for a second before smiling once again. "He's in the training room." When I stared at him blankly he continued. "Erm, you remember where that is right?"

I shook my head slowly and silently pleaded that he would tell me quickly so I could find Masamune. As he stared at me for a moment, I became increasingly aware that I wore only a pair of silky, green pajama pants along with the bandages that wrapped around my torso.

"Yukina! What're you doing out here?! You're supposed to be checking on Ri-"Another man walked out from the elevator that was directly to our right. He was much shorter than the first and had a youthful look to him. His black hair was styled in an erratic array of low spikes that gave him a slightly menacing, yet adorable, look. "Oh! Rii-chan!" He exclaimed.

He raced from the elevator and shoved the man named Yukina away. "Are you alright?! Everyone was so worried about you! You know everyone started talking about how Takano-san probably locked you away somewhere-"

"Masamune wouldn't do that!" I yelled out before I realized what I was doing, and backed away from the two exuberant men. Apparently they knew me but I had yet to recall anything about them. "P-please just tell me where he is."

"Rii-chan…" the short man had a hurt look on his face as I gazed back at them wearily. "What's wrong? Why are you acting like this? It's me….Kisa. Kisa Shouta?"

I shook my head wearily as the taller man placed a gentle hand on Kisa's shoulder. He leaned down and whispered something in his ear and Kisa turned a light shade of pink before nodding and walking into the elevator again.

"Ritsu-sama, my name is Yukina Kou. We're friends, remember?" The man with the striking smile said as he held out a hand to me.

I stared at him and then glanced at his hand before hesitantly taking it. "We-we are?" I questioned. He nodded and grinned at me, nudging me into the elevator with Kisa.

"Kisa-san will give you directions to the training room. He's a good friend of yours so it's okay to be with him." Yukina said, his smile still blazing. "Kisa-san." He greeted somewhat seductively, which made the other male blush.

The elevator door closed and I became anxious, locked in a small place with a strange person I couldn't remember. He pushed a button on the panel and turned to stare at me. The elevator shuddered a little and a flutter of panic made me grip the metal railing on the side while frantically glancing between Kisa, the floor, and the tiled ceiling.

"What did they do to you..?" I heard him mutter as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. I waited a moment before setting an uncertain foot into the hallway.

"You just walk down this hallway and it's the third room on the left. You can't miss it." Kisa said, trying to smile reassuringly. I glanced down the hallway and then back to him as he turned to go into the elevator again.

"Ah!...uhm…Kisa..-san," I began as he turned around. "T-thank you." I bowed, seemingly out of habit and winced as my side twinged at the action. When I straightened the only thing I could see was a small glimpse of a teary face as he turned and ran down the other side of the hallway. The questioning look on my face disappeared as I examined the elegant sculptures and paintings that lined the hallways.

There were vibrant paintings of winged people, humans with animal appendages on their body, mostly ears and tails, and the occasional regular person. The sculptures, which were made of marble, consisted of the same things except they were in slightly more…seductive poses. A slight blush crept onto my cheeks as I tried to ignore the lewd poses, quickening my pace slightly.

The room I arrived at had wide exquisite doors that lay slightly ajar. I pushed it open wider before taking a timid step into the room. I immediately spotted Masamune jogging on a treadmill on the farthest end of the room. The rest of the area was filled with people lifting weights and doing other various exercises.

I started forward toward him but someone grasped my elbow. "You can't be in here," A gruff voice said as they spun me around. I yanked my arm away from The person and took a few steps away. The person was a tall, built female. She gasped when she looked at me full on. "Ritsu-sama! What are you doing down here?" She exclaimed.

"I-I'" The words caught in my throat as I clutched my arm to my chest and flittered my eyes around the room, hoping to get Masamune's attention.

A sudden _Thunk, Thunk, Thunk _ caught my attention. When I looked up, my eyes met the eyes of a man who held two large knives, three others were stuck in a human-like target.

My heart stopped and then proceeded to pick up again in a galloping effort to leap out of my chest. Recognition lit up in his eyes and a small smile flitted across his face. He threw a fleeting glance at Masamune before flipping one of the knives in his hands with expertise.

The man walked toward me, a smile spreading while my eyes widened in fear, my gaze focused intently on the knife in his hand as he advanced towards me. He stopped a couple of feet in front of me and spun the knife again. "Nice of you to come watch me practice." His voice was smooth with a hint of cockiness underlying the tone.

The color drained from my face as I watched him pull his arm back and fling the knife into the center of the human-like target just inches away from me.

A scream tore from my throat as static filled my ears and I crumpled to the ground, knees tucked underneath my upper body and eyes shut tight. Images flashed in front of me and I was pulled into a memory.

The man from the woods stood above me, a knife glinting underneath a harsh light. My body struggled on a cold, metal table, strapped down with rubbed bindings that absorbed the electric pulses that jolted out from my body. "Let's see what makes you tick, eh?" he laughed manically.

A knife was placed above my belly button, sinking into the skin as a scream was ripped from my lungs. White, hot pain made me convulse and thrash about. I could feel hot blood running down my body as he made more incisions in different places along my torso, chuckling under his breath the whole time I screamed as gasped for air.

I was pulled  
out of my lurid nightmare by the sound of Masamune's panicked voice. "Let me through you bastard!" He was yelling at someone.

"Masamune! Masamune!" I sobbed, not daring to open my eyes again even though the images from my memory flashed repeatedly through my eyes. I could hear more voices around me now, some calling my name and others asking what had happened.

A pair of ice-cold hands grasped my shoulders, pulling me up and face to face with the man who had thrown the knife and, in turn, triggered my recollection. Terror got me in a chokehold as I felt the flat of a blade press against my bare arm. A horrified wail escaped my lips as I struggled away from him while calling out to Masamune hysterically.

_Crack! _The pressure from the blade and the man's grip was suddenly gone. "Ritsu!" Masamune's voice called. "It's alright, Ritsu. I'm here."

I slowly opened my eyes again to meet Masamune's worried golden gaze. Without properly thinking the action through, I hurled myself at him, clutching my arms tightly around his neck and pressing close to him. My body shook as sobs wracked it. A hesitant hand gently rubbed circles on my back. Unlike the man's cold hands from before, this one was warm and comforting, spreading a familiar heat through my body, obviously Masamune's.

Prying eyes stared fiercely at us and I could see why he had stiffened when I had thrown myself at him. I shivered once before pulling away with a sense of urgency. "I r-remember," I sniffed trying to control myself. "T-the knives..th-the p-people c-c-cut…" I ran my hands along the bandages covering my body and there was a gasp.

Masamune's eyes widened with horror that quickly narrowed into fury.

"Are you okay?" the man who had thrown the knives, and was now nursing a swelling cheek, reached towards me again. I knocked his hand away by reflex and clutched Masamune's shirt tightly, watching him wearily. My eyes darted rapidly between him, his knives, and Masamune. His eyebrows were now scrunched in confusion.

"Am," I began, not looking away from the man, "Am I supposed to know them too?" Then I glanced around us at all of the people before settling on Masamune.

"Yeah but you've made some progress so that's good." He patted my head before turning to the others. "Can someone get a tissue?" They only stared in shock before someone in the back of the crowd pushed forward and handed him one.

"Kisa-san." I stated, recognizing him from only moments ago.

"Oh, you remember him too?" Masamune asked as he handed me the tissue.

I shook my head and stared at it blankly while he gestured a hand toward his nose. My hand immediately swiped at my own, coming back with blood. "I met him in the hallway…Why am I bleeding?" I asked as I pressed the tissue to my nose.

"Well you were charged so…" Kisa stated with a hurt look in his eyes. I cocked an eyebrow at him and the glanced to Masamune.

"Charged?"

"Guess you haven't gotten that far yet…" Masamune said under his breath as he helped me upright. I ignored his last statement and took the initiative to apologize.

"Uh…uhm… I'm sorry for the disruption and the scene I've caused." I bowed deeply by instinct and winced as it tugged on the bandages.

A woman stepped forward and I quickly huddled closer to Masamune as she began to rant. "What in the hell is going on, Takano?" she asked taking a step forward. Her voice and body language were menacing and struck the same cord as the man from my memories did, the intimidating boss.

A whimper passed from my mouth as I grappled for Masamune's shirt, terror making my veins cold. "Masamune…" I whispered, body trembling.

"Ritsu-sama, stop acting foolishly." The woman said sternly as she grabbed my arm and yanked me away from Masamune.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled as I thumped her hand away and bolted back to Masamune's side. The woman's eyes hardened as she turned he gaze to Masamune who stared blankly back at her.

"You will tell me what's going on _right now_, Takano Masamune, if you don't want to be punished for injuring Haitani." She said coldly.

"A-no…I-it wasn't Masamune's fault…" I began but was quickly stopped by her frigid scrutiny.

"I'm not allowed to say anything without Amaya-sama's permission." Masamune cut in as he inconspicuously put his body slightly in front of me.

I perked up immediately at the name. "Mom?"

Masamune looked back at me and smiled a little. "You remember her?" I nodded. "That's great!" He patted my head in approval and I was quickly seeing this as a habit of his, not that I minded. "Come on, Ritsu, let's go find Amaya-sama. You can tell me what else you remembered too." He pulled me in the direction of the door before calling back. "Kisa, come with us."

As he neared Masamune asked, "What were you doing down here anyways?"

Kisa blushed and looked down at the floor while muttering incoherent words.

"He was with me," Yukina stepped up from behind him and continued. "We heard those horrible screams and he came running."

I felt a blush creep on my face as I suddenly realized that all of the screaming I was reliving was heard by everyone in this room, not to mention wherever Kisa and Yukina were. "Ah…I'm really sorry for that…"

Yukina smile blinding at me, "Hey, no worries! Not like you could help it right? Haitani would scare the crap out of me too if I had to look at his cocky ass when I just woke up." He placed a hand on Kisa's hip, which Kisa wiggled out of after blushing even brighter.

Masamune let out a snort before tugging me towards the doors but not before someone grabbed my other wrist.

**Okay that's where I'm going to end it for tonight! This one was way longer than I thought it was going to be but the words just kept flowing out!**

**Heheheh….As you guessed Takano punched Haitani in the face (=^-^=)3 I couldn't help myself. And I added Kisa and Yukina too!...what were they doing you ask? Wouldn't you like to know ;D Drop a comment and I may put it in the next chapter!**

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Please review and until next time…Stay sexy!**


	5. Achluophobia

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long: / My computer was down for a little while but now it's good! (I'm hoping…) Thanks so much for keeping with me and Hello to all of my new readers!**

**Achluophobia- Fear of darkness.**

***- Ritsu's mind reverts to a flashback**

**I hope you like it!**

**I don't own Sekkai Ichi Hatsukoi!**

**Enjoy!**

Before I could slap the offending appendage away, Masamune yanked my body away and towards Kisa and Yukina. "He's said _repeatedly_ not to touch him. Get it through your head Haitani." Masamune growled out.

I peeked around his muscular frame to see the man who had been holding his cheek. Anger flared across his features and was made more evident when he stepped forward and shoved Masamune, which proved to be ineffective when he didn't even sway. "What makes you think you can keep me away from him, huh? You're nothing but a mutt and I don't know why Amaya-sama keeps you around."

Masamune stared at him coolly, eyes narrowed and lips drawn tight. His handsome features were distorted slightly with a somewhat pained yet knowing look, but no one other than me seemed to notice as they showed no hint of sympathy. I didn't know why it bothered me so much or why he had looked so hurt but I didn't like it.

The hands that were previously soothing me were now balled into tight fists, gripping so hard that the knuckles were white. I hesitantly reached for the one closest to me and threaded my fingers through it. The action felt so natural, so comfortable, that I relaxed a little more.

"Uhm…" I spoke up lightly but didn't move away from Masamune. "P-please stop saying those things, sir. It's not very nice." The man looked to me and Masamune stiffened.

Haitani stepped forward again, this time coming a little closer before Masamune blocked him completely from my view. "What'd you do to him? Why is he defending you? I bet you're the reason he went missing!"

Masamune's whole body jolted as though he had been shocked and I watched as his head lowered slightly, he thought he was guilty of something….

A bubble of some emotion I hadn't felt in a very long time stirred in my chest. Since I had woken up the only thing I had felt was fear and pain but the emotion that tore through me at this very moment was entirely new to me.

Anger.

I felt it burn through my insides and suddenly the air turned thick. I pulled out from behind Masamune's protection and heard my voice echo in the room. "Stop it! Masamune would never hurt me!" I yelled at him, the pin pricking in my fingers growing to zaps that jostled my bones. I couldn't understand why everyone was so cruel to Masamune or why they suspected that he could be anything other than kind. Kisa-san had said something similar, although the tone he used had suggested an entirely different meaning, but it still bothered me.

A crackle in the air echoed around the room and soon Haitani was backing away with a look of intense frustration and vehemence on his face. My grip on Masamune's hand had tightened considerably during my brief fit and I slowly relaxed my grip.

I could feel stares focused intently on mine and Masamune's hands and without the anger distracting me anymore I began to squirm and retreated behind Masamune's large frame again. "C-c-can we go now?" I asked, looking into Masamune's golden eyes pleadingly.

His eyes were wide with shock and he continuously glanced between our intertwined hands, his body, and my face. He slowly came out of his daze to face the equally shocked crowd and muttered a goodbye.

Kisa and Yukina followed us out of the room, trailing after us into the hallway. "How are you standing?" Yukina asked suddenly and Masamune stopped abruptly turning around to face him.

Silence rained. Masamune's grip tightened on my hand, squeezing gently before grasping it lightly again. "I have no idea. I didn't feel anything except some heat, but it was more comforting than anything else." Three sets of eyes turned directly to me.

"W-what?" I stuttered out nervously.

"How did you do that?" Kisa asked from beside Yukina.

My eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Do what?"

"You should've sent Takano flying!" Yukina exclaimed.

I balked at the thought of ever hurting Masamune.

"Guys," Masamune said sternly, his voice telling them to drop the subject but I was curious to know just what they were talking about.

"What are they talking about?" I asked him. He looked down at me, golden eyes boring down into my own and I could feel a blush creep up my face at our close proximity. I quickly looked away from his face.

"Kisa, Yukina, please excuse us for a moment. We're going to go clean Ritsu up." Masamune stated, quickly pulling me into a room a couple feet away and closing the door behind us.

He turned around abruptly only to stare at me. I saw relief flash across his face before he slowly reached up a hand to touch my face. His finger slid lightly down my face, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. I looked at him wide eyed. "Ritsu." Was the only word he muttered out before pulling me flush against his body a holding me their tightly. I stiffened for an instance before relaxing into his warm embrace.

His nose skimmed across my neck, my pulse fluttering underneath the deft movement. His hand released mine only to caress the nape of my neck. His other hand gently tilted my chin up. "I missed you," He whispered, eyes never leaving mine as he leaned in closer and closer until our breath mingled in the small area between our mouths. "So much." He finished, resting his forehead on mine, our noses brushing until his lips met mine in a feather light kiss.

My heart beat erratically in my chest as he pulled away slightly to check my reaction. "How much of this do you remember?" he breathed against my lips.

I raised my hand to his face, gently touching my fingers to his lip. "I remember this." I whispered back and told him about my reminiscing in the bathroom and classroom. His face fell slightly but quickly returned to normal when I stood on my toes to lightly press a kiss to his lips. "I'm sorry I don't remember everything…b-but I will try very hard to remember everything and not trouble you!" I prattled off, gripping his shirt in my hands.

"Ritsu," Masamune started, raising a hand to my cheek and rubbing his thumb soothingly underneath my eye. "You could never do anything to trouble me," He brought his lips to mine once more pressing softly and whispering "I will always love you." A sigh escaped my lips, the words he spoke made my heart flutter and my stomach flip-flop and I wondered how I ever could've forgotten who loved me so much.

Tears welled in my eyes as I recalled the hurt and pained looks he and everyone else had given me from the time I had arrived. I had unknowingly hurt all of the people around me but I had hurt the one who loved me, Masamune, the most.

"Ritsu? Hey, what's wrong, love?" His voice was soft and made me cry harder.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry! I n-never meant to h-hurt you!" I wailed clenching my eyes shut and pressing myself into his warm chest. Arms wrapped around me, holding me tenderly as Masamune gently tilted my head up.

"The only way you could hurt me," he said lowly, his golden gaze smoldering with passion so intense my breath caught in my throat "is if you left me completely." He leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against my own, an arm slinging around my waist while the other threaded into my hair.

His kiss was gentle but the need in his eyes betrayed how much restrain he was using. The saltiness from my tears meshed with the minty taste from Masamune's own mouth. I shyly opened my mouth, moaning as he immediately darted his tongue in to stroke my own.

A whimper escaped my lips as his hand found the tender flesh on my back, softly tracing his fingers over the bandages while I shivered in pleasure.

There was a sudden pounding on the door and I yelped as he jerked away from me, putting his body in front of mine without hesitation. "HEY! Are you two done in there?! It's been forever and Amaya-sama sent some guards down to get us!" Yukina shouted from the other side of the door.

I blushed furiously as Masamune let out a frustrated growl before turning to me and giving a low chuckle as he ruffled my hair. He leaned down and pressed a fleeting kiss to my somewhat abused lips and whispered "I love you more than air," before opening the door.

Four men stood waiting along with Kisa and Yukina. They were dressed in dark blue uniforms consisting of trousers, a high-necked jacket, white gloves, and black shoes. The jackets were embroidered with a swirling gold insignia that closely resembled the tattoo on my hip.

"Ritsu-sama," One of them said and stepped forward and they all bowed in unison.

I looked at Masamune for some sort of reasoning but he only shrugged.

"H-Hi." I said to them, which was for some reason hilarious to Kisa and Yukina. I glanced at Masamune to see his reaction and found that he too was suppressing a smile. "W-what did I do?" I asked him but he only shook his head and let his smile go along with a small chuckle.

"C'mon," He said as he tugged me down the hall and into the elevator again.

It was cramped to say the least. I was in the farthest corner, clutching the metal bar again and keeping as close to Masamune as I could. He stood next to me, face impassive as he stared down the four guards by the doors. Kisa and Yukina were on the other side of me, almost touching each other and Kisa had a light blush on his face.

I smiled at them and looked at the ceiling, trying to ignore the flutter of panic that arose with each shudder of the elevator. I could feel my face contort in confusion as I saw the ceiling slowly pushing downwards. My hands automatically flew above me to try to push it back up but they only came into contact with air.

I stood there for a moment with my hands in the air before slowly lowering them to find everyone staring at me.

"Ritsu-sama?" One of the guards questioned.

"uh...I-"I began only to freeze as the walls behind them began to close in. They moved closer and I found it increasingly hard to breathe. The elevator gave a shudder and suddenly stopped the lights inside of it flickering before going out completely.

"Damn, I thought they fixed it?" Another guard said as he opened a panel on the still closing in walls.

"Ritsu?" I heard Masamune call as I slipped down the cold wall.

My breath came in quick pants as I tried to capture any source of light in the space. "Mas-…can...-'t…breat-he" I tried as the walls surrounded me. I clutched my knees to my chest arms covering my head and trying desperately to gasp in oxygen.

Someone grasped my arm and I wailed in fear, pulling away from the touch. "No…" *I sobbed a flash of a tiny sliver of light appeared before my eyes. Two black shadows appeared in the light and suddenly the frame of a door was exposed "_Rii-chan,_" a voice called out tauntingly.

A scream ripped from my lungs as I recognized the man who had cut me before. "No! Please! No!" I shouted as he grabbed my hair roughly and shoved my face into the ground. Blood pooled on the ground beneath me from my nose and head. "MASAMUNE!" I screamed over and over again as he repeatedly slammed my face into the ground. "Someone help me!" I cried

"_He's not going to save you."_ The man said into my ear as he pulled up my shirt, pressing his hand against my back.

"Stop it!" I shrieked.*

"Ritsu!" Masamune's voiced called out and the man and the scene before me disintegrated.

I blinked rapidly to find myself face-to-face with Masamune. The lights were back on and the entire elevator was silent. Kisa was looking at me with horror and anguish on his face as he clutched Yukina. The guards were standing stock still and with shock clearly displayed on their face.

I let out a choked rasp as I turned back to Masamune before breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably. My body trembled and I refused to close my eyes, even as they started to burn, afraid of the darkness that would consume my vision if I did. Masamune's arms pulled me to him and he held me tightly, quivering on his own as I continued to cry.

The door dinged and he immediately picked me up and carried me out of the packed elevator, sitting me on the ruby red carpet that covered another empty hallway.

The guards followed out next but kept a distance from us and just watched as Masamune held his hands to my face and muttered soothingly words to my unblinking eyes.

Yukina was ushering a teary Kisa out of the elevator but paused when he saw that we had made eye contact. His eyes flickered with horror before he gave a gentle smile and pulled Kisa against him and whispering something in his ear.

I sniffled as I focused on Masamune in front of me. His eyes were filled with pain and the need to comfort me. His thumbs rubbed soothingly against my tear-stained cheeks and when I tried to speak my voice was hoarse.

"What happened?" He whispered eyes full of concern.

"L-lock…dark…" I croaked, trying to force the words out. Masamune nodded encouragingly, his patience evident. "I w-was in a d-dark room a-and t-the man f-from before," I passed my shaking hands over my torso, "came a-and…and...b-beat…" I could no longer find my voice so I just mimicked what he had done with my hands.

Masamune pulled me into his embrace again and whispered "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you," his voice cracking a little as he held me tighter.

**Okay! This chapter is done and I'm hoping to update way sooner now! Please review with any comments or suggestions that you have for me! Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Until next time! :3**


	6. Shattered

**Okay, so I decided that I would try telling part of this story from Masamune's perspective and perhaps provide a little more insight into what happened right before Ritsu was taken away.**

**Please tell me what you think! This scene is going to go all the way back to chapter four when Takano is running on his treadmill:3**

**I don't own Sekkai Ichi Hatsukoi!**

**Enjoy!**

I couldn't ever forgive myself for letting him go. No matter how hard I trained, I could never forget how easily I had fallen. Anger coursed through my veins as I remembered the last moment before Ritsu was gone.

We were walking home from school, like any other day. Ritsu's cheeks flushed bright red as I slipped my hand into his. I couldn't get enough of his adorable reactions and so I glanced around us once before pulling him into a nearby alley.

With his back against the wall and my arms braced by his head, he had looked so vulnerable but I knew that he could easily defeat me if he wanted to. I smirked as he began to stutter. "W-what are yo-" I cut his question off with a firm press of my lips to his own.

His wide green eyes looked up at me and his full lips parted a little in shock. "Why did you…?" his voice trailed off. I raised my hand to run my fingers over his cheek, his lips, and brought my mouth close to his.

"Because I love you," I had stated so confidently just before I felt a sharp blow to the back of my head. My mind screamed at me to get up, to protect the one I loved so much, but my body refused as it crumpled to the ground, a dark wetness seeping into my clothes as I tried to pull myself to my feet.

"Masamune!" I heard Ritsu scream. Oh god. His voice sounded more terrifying than anything I had ever heard before in my life. My heart clenched and jumped into my throat. I opened blurry eyes to see Ritsu struggling with three men in black ski masks.

I roared and let myself shift partially. My muscles groaned in relief as my spine and teeth elongated and my ears moved upwards to sit on top of my head. I launched myself onto the nearest one, biting into the back of their neck and severing their spinal cord.

In the next moment I was slammed against the brick wall and struggling to breathe as a knife was plunged into my ribcage. I heard Ritsu scream again and immediately snapped to attention, throwing my attacker aside and managing to catch the next blow meant for Ritsu.

I coughed up blood, from the hit or from my pierced lung I had no idea. Ritsu's hands grasped my shirt and I could feel him trembling behind me, gathering energy so he could release a charged bolt at the two men.

They advanced towards us, a gun in one hand and a knife in the other. "Ritsu, if you see a chance you need to run," he started to protest but I cut him off. "I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you. You're too important to me." I said lowly, feeling him press closely to my back and nod slightly.

One of the men ran at me directly and my body braced for the impact. My muscles tensed and I let out a roar that reverberated against every building within the area. His body clashed with mine and he flew back from the impact, I merely took a step back. He collided with the wall and slumped down, unmoving.

One man left.

I turned back to face him, only to be greeted with a punch to my head that made me see stars. I hissed and moved to grab his throat, but my disorientation made me grab air. My feet were swept out from under me and my head cracked against the concrete walkway. I thrashed around desperately as a foot stomped repeatedly on my leg until it broke under the constant force.

I screamed out in pain and yelled "Run Ritsu!" just as a blinding light struck the man above me. His body seized and jolted as it crashed to the ground, it jerked and his eyes rolled back into his head and then he stilled, saliva dripping from his mouth.

I found green eyes above mine, along with a bloodied nose. "I didn't hit you did I?" Ritsu asked frantically as he looked at me with desperation.

I chuckled and then winced, choking on the blood in my mouth before spitting it out with a garbled "No, I'm fine."

Ritsu balked. "The hell you are! Come on, let's go before-" Ritsu stilled and reached around himself. He winced, his hand returning with a feathered needle and he looked at me in horror as his body went slack.

"Ritsu?! Ritsu wake up!" I shouted but he didn't move. There was a low chuckle from behind Ritsu's body and I felt the air grow thick, almost like it did when Ritsu was charging up.

"He'll be out for a good three hours." A deep voice said and suddenly Ritsu's body was gone.

"Bye-Bye now." The voice said before all of the men who had been there early flashed out of existence.

My body was heavy with a new kind of pain, my heart ached and a few lost tears freed themselves from my eyes. "Ritsu…" I whispered.

"RITSU!" His name tore from my throbbing throat before I passed out.

Just like that he had slipped through my fingers.

The only ones who hadn't blamed me for Ritsu's disappearance were Amaya-sama, Kisa, and Kou. Ever since he was taken I had felt the need to become stronger and I hadn't stopped looking or training. I would never let anything happen to my Ritsu again.

A piercing scream tore throughout the training hall and I knew instantly that it was Ritsu. I jumped from the treadmill, not bothering to turn it off before pushing my way into the growing crowd. "Ritsu!" I called out but my voice was drowned in the chaos of people questioning 'What happened?', 'What's going on?', and 'Why is the prince down here?'.

I pushed my way forward until Haitani pushed me backwards. "Don't go near him!" Ritsu screamed again, his hands clutching his head and his body curled in on itself.

"Let me through you bastard!" I yelled at Haitani but he refused to let me any closer.

"Masamune! Masamune!" Ritsu's sobs echoed in my ears and I wanted so desperately to go and soothe his pain.

Haitani released me and immediately grasped Ritsu. Ritsu's eyes widened with terror as they darted from Haitani's face to his knife before he let out the most alarming wail I had ever heard from his lips.

I had had enough of this and my anger flowed out of me. I grabbed Haitani's shoulders and let go of all of the hatred I had for him in one power-filled punch to his pretty boy face. The impact knocked him backwards and he groaned in his unconscious state.

"Ritsu!" I called out. "It's alright, Ritsu. I'm here."

He slowly opened his eyes, revealing the emerald orbs that I loved so much. His eyes focused on me and his tortured expression relaxed some. The next thing I knew, my Ritsu had his arms clasped tightly around my neck, his shuddering body pressed securely against mine as he proceeded to sob into my chest.

I had stiffened as soon as he had touched me, aware of all of the disapproving eyes on us but our classes didn't matter at the moment because the whimpers that Ritsu was emitting made my chest hurt. I hesitantly reached a hand up to rub circles onto his bandaged back. His body shivered once before he pulled away and babbled "I r-remember," he sniffed once, his teary eyes ripping me apart. "T-the knives...th-the p-people c-c-cut…" his voice broke off as he gestured to the bandages on his body.

My eyes widened with the thought that anyone would hurt someone so kind but it quickly turned into fury that someone had the nerve to injure _my_ Ritsu.

Haitani stepped towards us. "Are you okay?" he asked as he held his purpling cheek. I couldn't help but feel a bit smug as Ritsu knocked his hand away and clutched onto my shirt.

"Am," he trembled, "Am I supposed to know them too?" He looked at the mass around us before staring at me.

I ignored the disapproving glares as I patted his head, as I had done so many times before, and said "Yeah but you've made some progress so that's good." I glanced at his bloodied nose then to the scorched carpet one the ground. It had been a long time since I had seen Ritsu's charge give him a nose bleed that bad, but I was happy. It meant that he was alive and here right in front of me.

I glanced around the gawking crowd and sighed. "Can someone get a tissue?" I called.

Kisa stepped forward and handed me one. I gave him a questioning look. He wasn't part of the guard division so why was he down here?

"Kisa-san." Ritsu stated.

"Oh, you remember him too?" I asked as I handed him the tissue.

He looked at me and shook away the offered tissue. When I gestured to my nose he rubbed his own and took it after he saw the blood. "I met him in the hallway…Why am I bleeding?" he asked as he pressed the tissue to his nose.

"Well you were charged so…" Kisa said the hurt apparent on his face. Ritsu looked from him to me.

"Charged?"

"Guess you haven't gotten that far yet…" I said under my breath as I helped him to his feet.

Ever the one for formalities Ritsu stopped. "Uh…uhm… I'm sorry for the disruption and the scene I've cause." He bowed and winced. I frowned and was about to ask if he was alright when Hana, my mentor, stepped forward.

"What the hell is going on, Takano?" She yelled and advanced towards us.

Ritsu whimpered and clasped onto my shirt tighter, my name whispered from his lips. He was scared, of her I wasn't certain, he had been a little wary of her before but this was something different. I wished with everything had that we were alone right now so I could hold him as much as I wanted but at the moment that was impossible.

"Ritsu-sama, stop acting foolishly." Hana said, gripping his arm and yanking him away from me.

"Don't touch me!" he yelled, smacking her hand away and hiding his thin body behind me. Hana's dark eyes got even darker as she glared at me. I void my face from all emotion, making sure to not let her see the hurt that she had caused me.

"You will tell me what's going on _right_ _now,_ Takano Masamune, if you don't want to be punished for injuring Haitani." She said without remorse. All of the years we had spent training and laughing together meant nothing as soon as someone had suggested that I had done something to Ritsu.

"A-no…I-it wasn't Masamune's fault…" Ritsu started but stopped as soon as Hana turned her icy gaze on him.

I made my voice just as emotionless as I said "I'm not allowed to say anything without Amaya-sama's permission."

Ritsu perked up. "Mom?"

I looked back at him, smiling a little for his benefit even though I was hurting inside. "You remember her?" he nodded. "That's great!" I patted his head again. "Come on, Ritsu, let's go see Amaya-sama. You can tell me what else you remember too." I said, tugging him in the direction of the doors before remembering Kisa. "Kisa, come with us."

When we got closer to the doors I finally asked, "What were you doing down here anyways?"

Kisa immediately flushed bright red and I knew instantly where he had been. I hid the smirk that threatened to play on my face as a certain brown haired man walked up from behind him.

"He was with me." Kou said. "We heard those horrible screams and he came running."

I glared at him when Ritsu blushed. Only I was allowed to make him blush. "Ah…I'm really sorry for that…"

Kou ignored me and smiled at Ritsu. "Hey, no worries! Not like you could help it right? Haitani would scare the crap out of me too if I had to look at his cocky ass when I just woke up." I watched as he tried to wrap his arm around Kisa's hip but Kisa wiggled out of it and blushed brighter.

I snorted and pulled Ritsu to the doors when his body was jerked in the opposite direction.

**Chapter 5**

Ritsu stiffened immediately but before he could brush Haitani off, I pushed him towards Kisa and Yukina. Haitani had always pissed me off, flaunting the fact that he was an obvious choice of a suitor for the prince, _my _prince, but Ritsu had shown zero interest in him. I was more than happy to play protector to Ritsu if it meant getting to be around him _and _getting to beat the crap out of anyone who dared to come to close to him, Haitani included.

"He's said _repeatedly_ not to touch him. Get it through your head Haitani." I practically growled out, letting the animalistic tone in my voice shine through.

Haitani's eyes flashed with contempt. He stepped toward me, trying to look menacing, and shoved me. I didn't move. "What makes you think you can keep me away from him, huh?" _He's mine!_ I wanted to yell. "You're nothing but a mutt," my shoulders tensed at the familiar jab. "and I don't know why Amaya-sama keeps you around."

The hatred I felt for him in that very moment intensified along with the emotional pain that came each time someone mentioned my class in front of Ritsu. Because I was born like this, a mutt, a mixed breed of wolf and dog and human, no one would ever except that I loved Ritsu and he loved me.

My fingernails dug into the palms of my hands as I wonder if my Ritsu had truly remembered me, every touch and whispered confession. I resolved that even if he only remembered some of what we were, what we had been, I would never let him go and I would remind him of just how much I needed and loved him every chance I got.

I would make him fall in love with me again.

Suddenly, there was a tugging on my fingers and I looked down to see Ritsu's small hand threaded with my own. I wanted so badly to hug him in that instant, to make sure that he was real because even though he had just gotten his memory back, he could still read me so easily.

"Uhm…" Ritsu's hesitant voice cut into the silence. _No, Ritsu, don't stand up for me_. I willed him, knowing that it was going to get worse. "P-please stop saying those things, sir. It's not very nice." Haitani glowered at me and then turned his attention to Ritsu.

I loathed the way he looked at Ritsu, like he was some prized object. He stepped closer to Ritsu, and I immediately blocked him. "What'd you do to him?" He growled at me. "Why is he defending you? I bet you were the reason he went missing!"

My heart stopped. It was entirely my fault that Ritsu had gone missing. The image of his terrified face flitted through my eyes as I had laid there while he was taken right in front of me.

And I had been utterly helpless.

The air the room grew thick and dry, just as it had when my love had been stolen. I looked immediately to Ritsu only to find him right beside me, his hand clasping mine tightly while electricity zapped from both of his hands. I tensed for the impact of his charge….but it never came. Warmth traveled up my arm and across my chest, as gentle as Ritsu touch had always been and just as…intimate. I held in the gasp that threatened to spill from my mouth.

"Stop it! Masamune would never hurt me!" His voice reverberated off of every wall in the room, the sparks arching off his body now and towards Haitani. I knew I shouldn't be standing right now, knew I shouldn't be enjoying the tingling heat throughout my body but I was.

The air zapped and resonated around the area and Haitani finally backed off, his anger and confusion directed at me.

Ritsu let out a breath and loosened his hold on my hand, taking his warmth with it. Every pair of eyes was trained on our joined hands and it was obviously disturbing Ritsu as he squirmed and retreated behind me again. "C-can we go now?" Large green eyes stared imploringly into my own.

I was stunned beyond belief as I tried to comprehend what had happened, staring at his face, our hands and my body.

"Ah…yeah…b-bye." I mumbled to everyone before I darted out the door with Ritsu, Kisa, and Yukina following closely behind me.

After a while Yukina finally yelled out "How are you standing?" I stopped and turned to face him and his lover.

It was quiet for a moment, my hand clasping around Ritsu's. "I don't know. I didn't feel anything other than some heat, but it was more comforting than anything else." We all turned to Ritsu.

"W-what?" He said anxiously.

"How did you do that?" Kisa asked.

"Do what?" He said, obviously confused. He had no idea what had happened or what we were talking about.

"You should've sent Takano flying!" Yukina bellowed.

Ritsu's eyes widened and he looked entirely mortified.

"Guys," I said sternly, my voice telling them to drop the subject at hand.

"What are they talking about?" Ritsu asked, his face turning increasingly red before he turned away. My control broke, I needed to hold him now.

"Kisa, Yukina, please excuse us for a moment. We're going to go clean Ritsu up." I said as I pulled Ritsu into the closest room and closed the door, but not before I noticed the knowing smirk that Yukina gave me as he turned a predatory smile on the smaller male at his side.

I turned around and inspected Ritsu. Other than the bandages on his torso and the small one just above his eyebrow, he was okay. My hand automatically went to his face, the one that I had been yearning for so long, the same one that had haunted my dreams every night since he had been gone. "Ritsu." His name tumbled from my lips and I could bear it no longer. I pulled him close to me, my heart thundering in my chest as I held him tighter.

I inhaled his scent, honeysuckle and strawberries, feeling his pulse jump and I smiled at the small victory. "I missed you." I said as I let go of his hand in favor of running my fingers through the soft hair at the base of his neck. I kept my eyes directly on his as I leaned forward; searching for any sign to pull away, but I finally rested my forehead against his. "So much." I confessed as I gently placed a kiss on the pale pink lips I had craved for so long.

I pulled back even though I wanted to do so much more. "How much of this do you remember?" I said, his breath puffing against my mouth and his lips parted so invitingly.

His hand trembled as he rubbed a gentle finger across my lips. "I remember this." He said quietly and told me about remembering our time spent in the school bathroom. I wanted to smile as I remembered all of the different times we had spent together, doing various things much more delightful than kissing, but I couldn't as I thought about how he hadn't remembered any of those.

Ritsu startled me out of my daze by stretching up and pressing his hands against my chest as he kissed me on his own. "I'm sorry I don't remember everything…" His eyes lowered in worry before returning back to my own and continuing "b-but I will try very hard to remember everything and not trouble you!" He gripped my shirt tightly and I couldn't help but be happy he still wanted me.

"Ritsu," I raised my hand to his cheek, brushing my thumb across his cheekbone. "You could never do anything to trouble me, " l leaned closer so I could kiss him better and confessed what I had been denied the pleasure of saying for too long. "I will always love you." Ritsu sighed as if he had been waiting to hear me say it.

His eyes sparkled with tears and I pulled him closer. "Ritsu? Hey, what's wrong, love?" I whispered as I brushed back some of his light brown hair. The tears spilled over and ran down his face, his fist clenched tighter.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry! I n-never meant to h-hurt you!" He sobbed. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around him and angle his face towards me. My heart throbbed as I took in his teary face, I didn't want to see him cry, I couldn't stand it.

"The only way you could hurt me," I leaned down, our noses brushing, "is if you left me completely." My lips finally met his. I tried to be gentle but it was hard with the object of my obsession in front of me after months on end without him. My hands automatically tangled in his hair, pulling his hips close and melding his petite frame into my own.

He tasted just as I remembered, like spring flowers and ripe fruit but his salty tears intruded in the mixture. His hands pulled my shirt, trying to get me to lean further down to his level and I couldn't stop the chuckle that bubbled up inside me when he whimpered as my fingers drifted across his back.

A pounding on the door made Ritsu jump but fear struck my core as I remembered the last time we had kissed…right before we were ambushed. "HEY! Are you two done in there?! It's been forever and Amaya-sama sent some guards down to get us!" Yukina shouted. Great. The guards were the most dedicated to the House, namely Ritsu and Amaya-sama, which meant they had harbored a special kind of hatred for me when I had been found…alone.

I turned to be greeted by a brilliant blush covering Ritsu's face. Some things never change. I huffed in frustration. Oh how I wanted more time with my love. I ruffled his hair a planted a kiss on his full lips whispering "I love you more than air," before opening the door.

All four of the guards that were present had graduated years ago, their glares telling me how lucky I was to be here but they immediately softened when they saw Ritsu.

"Ritsu-sama," the leader of the squad stepped forward, I could not, for the life of me, remember his name, and bowed, the others following in suit. Ritsu looked to me for help but I only shrugged.

"H-Hi." He said and Yukina and Kisa barked out their laughter. I suppressed the smirk that threatened to rise when the guards' eyes widened and sparkled. Yes, they were the ultimate form of fan-girls. "W-what did I do?" he asked, startled.

I only smiled, "C'mon," I pulled him into the elevator.

Ritsu, to my pleasure, snuggled as close as he could to me, all four guards glowered at me and Yukina had pulled Kisa practically on top of him, the smaller with a blush on his face.

Ritsu was trying very hard to put on a brave face for everyone but I could see he was scared by every shudder the elevator made. It hadn't been serviced in a while and I remembered on time when Ritsu and I had been trapped in here for hours…that had been a great period of enjoyment until we were "rescued".

Ritsu's hands suddenly flew to the air, panic clear on his face. It disappeared just as quickly but I worried anyways.

"Ritsu-sama?" The lead guard questioned.

"Uh…I-" He began but his body froze and his breathe came in ragged pants and then the elevator shuddered and the lights went out.

One of the guards muttered something about thinking it had been fixed but my gaze was focused directly on Ritsu who was currently sliding down the wall of the elevator. My eyes had adjusted immediately to the dark but I knew that Ritsu was as blind as a bat. "Ritsu?" I said.

His breath came in shuddering gasps, his eyes wide and unseeing. "Mas-…can…-'t…breat-he," he wheezed. He curled himself into a ball, arms covering his head and trying frantically to breathe.

Kisa crouched down to Ritsu and grabbed his arm, starting to pull him up before Ritsu scrambled away from him with a yelp. "No…" he whispered to the air.

A scream tore through the enclosed area and I was instantly on my knees next to Ritsu, his face in my hands as I called out to him desperately. He stared past me, through me really, at something only he could see. "No! Please! No!" he shouted, gripping his hair and slamming backwards into the wall.

"MASAMUNE!" My name ripped from his lungs and destroyed my very soul. He screamed it again and slammed against the wall. His face contorted in pure agony. My breathing was distorted, my body shaking as I called out to him, telling him I was all right and I was hear but he only screamed louder and bashed his head against the wall again.

"Someone help me!" he cried and it was all I could do not to fall apart in front of everyone.

"Stop it!" his voice ricocheted in the small space, hitting me like bullets and I knew I would never be able to get his cries out of my mind.

"Ritsu!" I yelled again, straight into his ear and he stiffened, emerald eyes blinking rapidly as the light flickered on. He stared at me, the guards, then Kisa and Yukina, and back to me. His lips trembled before he let out a heart wrenching cry and sobbed uncontrollably. His eyes stayed wide and he refused to close them even as they turned red and tears streamed down his face.

I pulled him to me and knew he could feel my body trembling against his own but he continued to cry. I wanted to hold him tighter and kiss him and tell him that everything was alright but I couldn't find my voice. My eyes were burning as I tried not to break down, Ritsu needed me to stay strong for him.

I was grateful when the elevator doors finally opened so I could pick him up and carry him out of this nightmarish place. Everyone was thankful to be free of the enclosed walls I was sure, as they piled out behind us.

Ritsu sniffled and tried to control his breathing as I did the same. I felt as broken as Ritsu looked. He made some garbled attempts to speak but his voice was coarse.

"What happened?" I said, needing to know that he was alright.

"L-lock…dark…" he croaked, his body still trembling. I tried to nod encouragingly but I wasn't sure I wanted to know what they had done to my little Ritsu. He took a deep breath. "I w-was in a d-dark room a-and t-the man f-from before," he gestured to his body and I instantly tensed. The same one who had sliced into my Ritsu's body, what else had he done? "Came a-and…and…b-beat…" He choked on the last word and I heard Kisa suck in a horrified gasp when he showed me what the man had done.

I pulled him to me, holding onto him tightly, not caring about our audience when my love was sitting in front of me with so much anguish on his face. I knew I was showing my weakness to every one of the people in the hall but I ignored them all. My voice shook as I whispered "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you," I hated how my voice broke but the feeling contradicted itself when Ritsu slipped his arms around me and buried his face in the crook of my neck.

I clenched my eyes shut and did the same to my trembling lover.

**So this has been on my computer for a while and I hope I gave you some insight as to what happened and why everyone is so….hmm I guess shattered is the best word for it:3 **

**Please tell me what you think and thank you for keeping up with me! I hope you enjoyed it!**


	7. Reflection

**Hi guys! It's been awhile but I'm finally updating this story!**

**I will be doing another chapter from Masamune's perspective (for Imagine Wings whom I thank so much for all your kind reviews!) which will be of chapters 1 and 2 but I need to save that so the plot can thicken **

**Thank you all for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

**I don't own Sekkai Ichi Hatukoi!**

As soon as Masamune's arms wrapped around me, I instantly felt some tension leave my body and pulled him tightly to me as I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his scent. The wave of familiarity that hit me was overwhelming but comforting all the same. He smelt like sandalwood mixed with peppermint and something spicy and I couldn't help but sigh as he did the same to me.

I didn't move when one of his arms moved underneath my legs to lift me into his arms. His shirt was damp with my tears but I ignored it in favor of avoiding the group of people around us.

"Tell Amaya-sama what happened, I'm taking Ritsu back upstairs." Masamune said.

"Bu-" one of the guards began but were quickly cut off.

"_Don't_ argue with me." Masamune growled, his chest vibrating against me.

His words finally sunk in and terror rushed through me again at the thought of going back into the elevator.

"N-no, please I d-do" I began to stutter out only to have Masamune shush me and whisper in my ear.

"We're not going into the elevator again, Ritsu. We'll take the stairs."

A sigh of relief escaped me but my body was still trembling.

Masamune and Kou exchanged a few words but I couldn't focus on what they were saying and nearly jumped out of Masamune's arms when I felt someone touch my back.

"S-sorry, Ritsu. I just wanted to say that we hope you feel better." Kou said softly but I didn't turn around. I knew I was being rude but I didn't want to face anyone right now so I merely nodded.

Masamune said goodbye to Kisa and Kou and turned, walking slowly and carefully. I knew he was trying not to jostle me and I clutched him tighter as thanks.

When I opened my eyes again I was back in my room, every light was on but the window in the room told me that it was night outside. Somehow I had fallen asleep on the many flights of stairs that Masamune had carried me up.

Masamune. As far as I could see, I was alone in the room and, for some reason, it scared me.

"M-Masamune?" I called softly, hoping he was closed by. The door flew open and one of guards from before rushed inside.

"Ritsu-sama! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you want something to drink? Are you comfortable enough? Would you like me to get some more pillows?" he motored off.

My sleep riddled mind couldn't process the large demand of inquiries that he had bombarded me so the only thing I could manage was an intelligent "a…uh….Masamune?"

At his name the guards face contorted with something that looked like disgust. "He went to the restroom, Ritsu-sama." After he finished asking if I was alright he turned to leave.

A little bubble of panic flared up inside of me and my hand darted out on its own, grabbing the man's hand before he could go back. "Ano….c-could you please stay with me until he comes back? I- I don't want to be alone." I whispered, looking down before looking back up at him.

There was a bright red blush on his face and a small gasp escaped me. "Oh! I-I'm sorry! If you're sick you should be laying down!"

His eyes widened slightly and his words tumbled from his mouth. "I'm not sick! I'll stay with you forever, Ritsu-sama!" He grasped both of my hands in his tightly in both of his as he sat down beside me on the bed.

I was startled to say the least and began to feel uncomfortable when he didn't release my hand. "W-what's your name?" I asked, hoping to take away the awkwardness that had filtered into the room.

"My name is Ren Arisawa! My birthday is March 18th! I am 5' 11" and weight 165 pounds! I am an only child but I have two dogs and a hamster! My favorite color is the green shade of your eyes and I was assigned the House of Avi's Division 6 Squad 11 after your disappearance, Ritsu-sama!" The man's brown hair flopped into his face with his excited words.

Before I could come up with any sort of response I heard laughter.

The door to the room was open and Kisa and Yukina were hunched over, faces bright red while Masamune stood straight, a deep frown and scowl on his features.

"What are you doing?" Masamune asked Ren lowly as he walked over to the side of the bed.

"Uh…I was just…."

"Just leaving right?" Masamune ground out. Ren nodded quickly, immediately dropping my hands and bowing before dashing like a mad man out of the room. When he was out of the room Masamune shook his head and ran hand through his midnight hair.

"Poor Ritsu! He looks like he has no idea what just happened!" Yukina gasped out in between his laughter, while wiping away a tear.

"I…what?" I looked to Masamune. He looked to me for a minute before breaking out into a broad grin and pulling me against him and kissing my forehead. I felt the blush on my cheeks immediately. "Masamune!"

"It's okay, love. They know." He said sliding onto the bed next to me as he put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. I couldn't help but snuggle closer to him and release a sigh. Yukina and Kisa watched us with bemused expressions.

"Oh…" was all I said as the blush slowly faded from my cheeks.

"About earlier…" Masamune began. My body automatically tensed but relaxed when Masamune grabbed my hand and rubbed his thumb in a gentle circle.

"We need to know…did you see what they looked like? Any symbols, clothing, or scars?" He went on.

I shivered at the memory of the room. "No…it was too dark…so dark. I couldn't see anything, but….but I felt…" I trembled with each word.

"Felt what..?" Yukina encouraged as he and Kisa came to sit on the other side of the bed.

"A-after the b-beating…the man st-started to touch my back," Masamune clutched my hand "N-not that way!..At least I don't think…but his fingers were…soft." When I got three very confused stares I sighed in frustration and detangled Masamune's hand from my own.

"The tips of his fingers," I held Masamune's hand in front of me and ghosted my fingers over his "and the palm of his hand were soft."

"You mean he didn't have any calluses?" Kisa piped in.

I nodded, eager to help in any way. Masamune grasped my hand again. I could practically see the wheels churning in their heads and immediately felt out of the loop.

"W-why? Did I help with anything?" I asked.

"We're trying to figure out who took you and why anyone would…do what they did to you." Yukina said.

"You did help though!" Kisa brightened. "Now we know that he must be a higher up. To have no calluses means that they would have people to do their dirty work for them."

"What about from your first remembered? When you woke up on the glass? Do you remember anything from that?" Masamune said. I turned to face him now, only to have our noses brush making me blush manically. He kissed me on the lips fleetingly before I could pull back and the heat flared up so much I nearly got lightheaded from the rush of blood.

"Uhm…yeah," I muttered still blushing heavily and trying to calm to erratic pulse. "He had dark hair…I think it was long and uhm, he called me by my name."

"He called you Onodera?" Yukina asked but I shook my head. "Ritsu?" he tried again.

"At one point he called me Riichan and when I was running it went from being really warm to really cold. There was snow on the ground right before I got to the barrier." I continued.

Silence reigned for a few tense moments before a sudden thought hit me.

"How long have I been gone?" I questioned.

Masamune tensed. "You were gone for four months." He whispered, not meeting my eyes.

In that moment I knew he blamed himself for everything. I knew that he had suffered more than anyone else and I knew why everyone had been throwing him such dirty looks. They blamed him too.

I reached up and turned his face so we were looking directly at each other, Yukina and Kisa forgotten. His golden eyes were hard, trying desperately to mask all the feelings playing underneath but I could see the guilt and pain that lingered just below the surface.

"This was _not_ your fault." I whispered as I moved my hand to caress his cheek, my fingers brushing away the soft black strands. For a moment, his face was completely open, his guard down and his emotions played so openly on his face.

He looked like he wanted to cry.

Impulse took over and I pulled him to me, crushing our lips together. Masamune wrapped his arms around me, they shook a little but I doubt that anyone could've seen.

A throat cleared behind us. I jumped before remembering that Kisa and Yukina were right next to us.

Yukina's grin took up his whole face and Kisa was smiling just as happily. "See, Takano! We told you it wasn't your fault!" Kisa practically squealed.

"But I-" Masamune began but I quickly covered his mouth with my hand.

"From what I can remember of you, you're very stubb-Ah! Did you just lick me?!" I asked incredulously as he took my wrist and smiled as he kissed my pulse.

"You're feeling better." He stated and I realized suddenly that what he said was true. I felt better than I had from the time I had arrived.

I smiled.

"Riichan." Kisa sniffled. Yukina chuckled and pet my hair, smiling back at me. Masamune abruptly pulled me against him again. He gently pressed his lips against mine and lingered for a moment before pulling away.

"You're smiling again." He said, one arm still around my waist and the other brushing my hair out of my eyes. I could feel myself smiling again.

"I guess I am." I said.

"Hey you haven't eaten yet have you?" Kisa asked suddenly.

My stomach grumbled its answer. Now that he mentioned it I was starving. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten anything.

The door to the room opened again and a girl wearing a chef hat walked in. "Oh perfect timing!" Yukina exclaimed.

Ren poked his head into the room, glancing wearily at Masamune before speaking to me. "I thought you might be hungry, Ritsu-sama."

"Thank you," I replied and threw him a smile. His face was really red. "Are you sure you're not sick, Arisawa-san?"

Kisa laughed. "He's not sick, Baka! He-" Kisa was cut off as Ren dashed across the room and tackled him to the floor, covering his mouth with one hand and waving nonchalantly with the other.

"I'm totally okay! A-Okay! Please call me Ren, Ritsu-sama!" He cried.

I nodded hurriedly, worried for the poor man's safety as he was completely ignoring Yukina's death glare. He got off Kisa, bowed and left the room along with the chef.

The smell of the food on the tray wafted to my nose and I tore open the lid. My mouth watered at the sight. Vibrant green veggies, bright right strawberries, steaming meat. It was a montage of gourmet foods. I tore in ravenously, completely ignoring the looks I got from the other men in the room.

"I can't remember the last time I ate," I muttered leaning back against the headboard.

The three around me laughed, but when I only looked at them questioningly. "What do you mean?" Masamune said wearily.

"Exactly what I said?" I scrunched my eyebrows together as I watched Kisa's face go from happy to appalled in three seconds flat.

It was quiet again. My stomach suddenly clenched. I immediately covered my mouth and held my stomach. "Oh Kami. I don't think I should've eaten so fast." I said behind my mouth. "Where's the bathroom?"

Masamune immediately helped me off the bed and down the hall without interference this time. We made it just in time for me to taste my meal a second time. Much to Masamune's credit, he didn't flinch at all but rubbed my back.

"I'm going to go get you some actual clothes." He said as he looked at the same blue pajamas I had had on earlier. "You're tooth brush is under the sink along with everything else." He finished as he kissed me on the cheek, ruffled my hair and walked out of the bathroom.

I was going to have to get used to all the blushing I did around him. With that thought in mind, I ducked under the sink and grabbed the only toothbrush, some toothpaste, and mouthwash. After I had finished I took the time to admire my battered reflection in the large vanity that covered half of the room.

There were dark purple bags under my eyes; my hair lay limp and dull on my head, a greenish bruise marred the bridge of my nose and my upper lip was split. Overall, though, I didn't look too bad. I still had the large green eyes and light brown hair that I had remembered.

My eyes flickered to the space behind me in the mirror and the quickly flit back.

I screamed.

**Yay! Sweet chapter! Ritsu's getting better but…? What happens now?! Darn you EVIL AUTHOR! Why? Why? Hehehe! Hope you liked it! Please review!**

**Until next time!**


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